DOCUTAHhttp://docutah.com
International Documentary Film FestivalFri, 31 Jul 2015 14:01:05 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.3Renowned Vietnamese Guitarist and Storyteller Tinh Performs at DOCUTAH March 17http://docutah.com/renowned-vietnamese-guitarist-and-storyteller-tinh-performs-at-docutah-march-17/
http://docutah.com/renowned-vietnamese-guitarist-and-storyteller-tinh-performs-at-docutah-march-17/#commentsWed, 11 Mar 2015 00:17:30 +0000http://docutah.com/?p=4525Don’t miss this event at Dolores Eccles. Dixie State University and the DOCUTAH International Documentary Film Festival invite you to hear Tinh Mahoney, renowned Vietnamese guitarist and storyteller will perform at the Eccles Fine Arts Concert Hall on March 17. His compositions and stories are derived from his experience growing up in the midst of the Vietnam War, and his later years living in Pakistan, the Philippines, and finally the United States.

The event takes place on March 17 at 7:30 P.M. and also includes a screening of Tinh’s film, Land Where My Heart Lies, which the artist describes as “a visual poem which captures the beauty and the spirit of Vietnam, Binh Thuan province.” Tickets can be purchased through the University here. Tinh’s visit also includes a lecture at the University earlier in the day on Cultural Understanding Through the Arts.

“Dixie State University and DOCUTAH are very proud to have the opportunity to host a performer of such immense talent. It is a tribute to the growing reputation of the film and performing arts programs of DSU and DOCUTAH,” said Dr. Jeffery Jarvis, Dean of Visual and Performing Arts at DSU. “Tinh is on a United States tour and has made the time to visit Southern Utah to perform and lecture for our students and community. We are grateful for the sponsorship of David and Carol Hansen to make this remarkable performance happen.”

“I met Tinh in Vietnam while my son was filming the documentary Soldiers’ Sanctuary, which tells the story of combat veterans healing the scars of war,” said David Hansen, a Vietnam veteran involved in the PeaceTrees Vietnam project. “He was looking for some music which would complement the vision of the film and have a cultural connection to Vietnam. Tinh’s haunting music was perfect.”

Soldiers’ Sanctuary was shown at the 2014 DOCUTAH International Film Festival. It follows a group of US veterans of the Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam wars return to the battlefield of Khe Sanh, Vietnam, where they meet with veterans of the People’s Army to plant trees on the site of the wartime combat base. This historic event is the foundation of the Khe Sanh Garden, a world sanctuary dedicated to honoring the memory of fallen soldiers from all sides of armed combat and reconciling in peace with former enemies.

The 2015 DOCUTAH International Documentary Film Festival, held at Dixie State University in Saint George, Utah, runs from September 8-12 and is currently accepting submissions. To date, DOCUTAH has received 102 submissions from 26 countries.

About DOCUTAH

DOCUTAH’s mission is to inspire a global connection through independent documentary films and intellectual discussions. DOCUTAH strives to enhance the education of independent filmmakers, aspiring film students, citizens of the world and the Southern Utah Community. DOCUTAH is one of the few university-sponsored film festivals in the United States. It is an International pure documentary film festival. As part of Dixie State’s academic component, DOCUTAH also offers master class seminars and filmmaker panels where student, amateur and professional filmmakers can discuss and advance their skills in the art of filmmaking.

Dixie State University, DSU, DOCUTAH are trademarks. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Christian Jensen is no ordinary person. Not only did he win the 2014 DOCUTAH Raven award, but he has also been nominated for an Oscar! The St. George native is staying positive about his nomination in the category of Best (short) Documentary. He directed a documentary called “White Earth” and it has become a big hit amongst viewers and critics alike.

Christian is a deserving candidate for this Oscar because of his talent, artistic eye, and scholastic honors. After studying at Dixie State University, he went on to graduate from the prestigious Stanford University with an emphasis in Documentary Filmmaking. He has proven himself in the film industry time and time again, showing screenings of his films all over the country. Some of those screenings include the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.

The Oscar nomination is not the only attention White Earth is attracting. As mentioned, this film was featured in the 2014 DOCUTAH Southern Utah International Film Festival and it received the Raven award for best director. It’s hitting home to many people who have seen it, including the Executive Director of DOCUTAH, Phil Tuckett. Phil has stated that he believes this film is very deserving of all the accolades it’s been awarded. He said, “DOCUTAH is proud to be part of the Christian Jensen and White Earth success story. His Academy Award nominated film is a perfect example of what Dixie State University and DOCUTAH hope to achieve; to create a world-class festival that celebrates the documentary form by producing and showcasing films to enlighten, inform and entertain. With White Earth Christian has done that at the highest level.”

So what’s White Earth all about? It has been described as “the tale of an oil boom seen through unexpected eyes,” and it brings a new perspective to most people who don’t know a whole lot about the time period. It specifically tugs on the heartstrings because of the specific family story it tells. According to the film’s summary, White earth tells the story of “three children and an immigrant mother [braving] a cruel winter and explore[s] themes of innocence, home and the American Dream.” An interesting plot with inspiring characters allows viewers to get the best of both worlds out of this film experience.

Viewers aren’t the only ones enjoying this documentary. According to DOCUTAH Production Facilitator and local film critic Bruce Bennett, “We are hoping Christian will consider showing it at this year’s DOCUTAH festival.” Bruce was impressed and rated the film very high.

]]>http://docutah.com/docutah-award-recipient-nominated-for-an-oscar/feed/0Film Celebrates History of the Virgin River Gorgehttp://docutah.com/film-celebrates-history-of-the-virgin-river-gorge/
http://docutah.com/film-celebrates-history-of-the-virgin-river-gorge/#commentsTue, 13 Jan 2015 18:20:32 +0000http://docutah.com/?p=4489Over 40 years ago, a new highway was built to bridge the gap between southern and northern Utah. During this intense process, Interstate 15 was joined with another highway that leads through the mountains and Virgin River Gorge area.

Phil Tuckett, a former NFL player, NFL filmmaker, and current head of Dixie State University’s digital film program, saw the beauty of this unsung heroic story, and opened up the eyes of the world to it. He worked together with his students to create this film because they agreed it was a historical story worth telling. They named the special project, “My Father’s Highway: Building I-15 Through the Virgin River Gorge,” and it’s debut was during DOCUTAH’s film festival last September.

This informative and historic, yet engaging and heart-wrenching film takes you back to the days when the tenacious community workers accomplished an engineering phenomenon of their time. Twenty-nine miles of the road cuts across Arizona’s northwest corner, and the rest of it weaves in and out of an intricate network of bridges crossing the river. At points the road is set in between 500-foot limestone cliffs on either side and engineered so powerfully that at times it may seem to hang off of the sheer rock walls.

This 4 lane highway is carved in between the winding mountains of the 500 million-year-old Virgin River Gorge, and costed $10 million (the equivalent of $50 million today) per mile to create. Some argue that an effort of that magnitude could never be accomplished today because of funding fights and political struggles, but they did it back then, and it was the most expensive highway ever built at the time. Was the expense worth the reward? Well, the 1.4 million commercial trucks that travel through the pass annually would probably say so. The Federal Highway Administration also listed the Virgin River Gorge highway on the list of Nationally and Exceptionally Significant Features of the Federal Highway System.

This documentary does not only focus on the financial and engineering feats that were tackled, but also the people doing the tackling. This effort was led by veterans of World War II and workers from local southern Utah communities. In Tuckett’s words, “This project dominated the lives of so many during the eight-year construction period before the highway finally opened in 1973. It became less of a story about how many yards of concrete were poured into the bridges and more about human element and how much these people put into it.”

These people include President Eisenhower, the mob, and the individual workers. One worker named Jimmie Hughes died during construction, and his son Jimmie Hughes the younger is now a businessman and city council member in St. George. To him, not only is this film an excellent way for his father to be remembered, it also sheds light on how important this movement was for making southern Utah what it is today. “Obviously, the freeway was a big deal in opening this place up to the rest of the world, but (the film) also really shows you that these people were just a little bit different. If we don’t retain some of these things that make us a little different, what makes us unique, then what good are we doing,” he said.

My Father’s Highway: Building I-15 Through the Virgin River Gorge was a hit in the southern Utah community because of the many families in Washington County with connections to the film. A premiere showing of the director’s cut was shown at Dixie State University, DVD’s were released, and the film was featured in a local newspaper.

]]>http://docutah.com/film-celebrates-history-of-the-virgin-river-gorge/feed/0Muslim Journeyshttp://docutah.com/muslim-journeys-3/
http://docutah.com/muslim-journeys-3/#commentsFri, 10 Oct 2014 01:51:37 +0000http://docutah.com/?p=4411To recognize the beginning of Al Hijra (the Islamic New Year) from October 28th – 30th, The Utah Humanities Council and Dixie State University are proud to collaborate on “Muslim Journeys” – a festival of films, discussions, visual art and photographic displays exploring Muslim themes. The DSU library is participating with a series of books from the Bridging Cultures Bookshelf Series.

Art & Lectures

Glass sculpture will be featured in the Sears Art Museum Gallery by artist/scholar Andrew Kosorok, interpreting the “99 Names of God” in Islam. Kosorok is a graduate of BYU and is currently a sculpture and stain glass professor at BYU. His philosophy is “The lines of separation between paths of faith are often due to differences of vocabulary, rather than differences in where the heart is directed.”

Sculpture and paintings will be on display in the Eccles Grand Foyer by Pakistani artist Shazad Sheikh. He has taught in the DSU Visual Arts Department and has been featured on over fifteen national television programs regarding the development of batik art in Pakistan. Also featured will be photography of Islamic art, architecture and culture from photographer Tonezee’s world travels.

The journey begins on Tuesday, October 28th with a special lecture by Dr. Kathleen Herndon, a member of the English faculty at Weber State University and English Department Chair. She has lived in Isfahan, Iran, and Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for ten years. Her academic interests are in Middle Eastern Women Writers and English Education.

Documentary Films

The documentary films are free and will be screened at 7PM in the DSU Eccles Fine Arts Center Concert Hall. The schedule is as follows:

Tuesday, Oct. 28thPrince Among Slaves (in partnership with DSU Multi Cultural Diversity Center).
Brought by slave ship to Natchez, Mississippi in 1788, a twenty-six-year-old man named Abdul Rahman made the remarkable claim that he was an “African prince”. During his enslavement he toiled on the Foster plantation, married, and fathered nine children, before his claim was validated and he was set free to go home. His story made him one of the most famous Africans in American for a time, attracting the attention of powerful men such as Secretary of State Henry Clay.

The film will be followed by a discussion featuring Dr. Kathleen Herndon and Rev. Dr. Joel A. Lewis Chair Department of History and Political Science

Wednesday, Oct. 29thKoran by Heart (in partnership with DOCUTAH).
The Qur’an says that if you memorize and teach it to others, you will be successful in this life and the next. In Koran by Heart, a young scholar earns a place in the Islamic world’s oldest Qur’an memorization contest – although he is only ten.

Scheduled during Ramadan, the two-week event is both grueling and exhilarating. The competitors adhere to the practice of daytime fasting prescribed for the holiest month of the Muslim calendar, and the rounds sometimes go well past midnight. But the boys and girls recite before audiences of clergy and family members. The finals are broadcast on Egyptian national television.

This film will be followed by a discussion led by DSU Visiting Professor Shadman Bashir.

Thursday, October 30thIslamic Art: Mirror of the Invisible World (in partnership with DOCUTAH).
This film takes audiences on an epic journey across nine countries and more than 1,400 years of history. It explores the richness of Islamic art from great ornamental palaces and the play of light in monumental mosques to the exquisite beauty of ceramics, carved boxes paintings, and metal work. It revels in the use of color and finds commonalities in a shared artistic heritage with the West and East. The film also examines the unique ways in which Islamic art turns calligraphy and the written word into masterpieces and develops water into an expressive, useful art form.

]]>http://docutah.com/an-educational-treat/feed/02014 Film Selectionshttp://docutah.com/2014-film-selections/
http://docutah.com/2014-film-selections/#commentsMon, 30 Jun 2014 14:00:25 +0000http://docutah.com/?p=4026DOCUTAH – the Southern Utah Documentary Film Festival presented by Dixie State University announces 67 films to screen at DOCUTAH 2014 September 2 thru 6, 2014. DOCUTAH Artistic Director Phil Tuckett says, The quality of films we received made the decision even more difficult this year.” More than 40 local screening teams comprising 278 community volunteers began viewing and evaluating films on February 11, 2014. After 18 weeks of screening films the teams had logged a total of 645 hours of viewing time.
Festival Executive Director Christina Schultz expressed gratitude to the screeners when she said, Volunteers are an important part of the festival and we appreciate the many hours devoted to this project. DOCUTAH is the only festival we know of which uses this selection process to view EVERY film submitted. It is an arduous task that we could not do it without them.

The DOCUTAH International Film Festival originated at Dixie State University in 2010 and has since put southern Utah on the map for hosting this event that attracts professional, amateur and student filmmakers from around the globe. In its fifth year festival films will represent 45 different countries including Luxembourg, Iceland, India, Oman, New Zealand, and France. DOCUTAH invites all to attend and envision the world through documentary film while enjoying the majestic red rocks of southern Utah.

Please continue to check the website often for film trailer and synopsis
being loaded in the coming weeks.

DOCUTAH 2014 Film Selections

A One Year Lease

America’s First All Women Town Council

Atomic Soldier

Beyond All Boundaries

Beyond the Divide

Brain that Sings, The

Cast in Sand: A Tale of Two Women

Catalina Island

City of the Damned

CowJews and Indians: How Hitler Scared My Family, and I Woke Up in an Iroquois Longhouse with a Picture of Jesus, Reminding Me, for the Wrong Reason, that I Owe the Mohawks Rent

Doaa Aziza

Dryland

Engineer, The

Extending the Play

Families are Forever

Farewell to Hollywood

Feeding Five Hundred

Flux: Redefining Female Surfing

Freeing Boris

Freeload

Garwin

Give & Take

Harastolen

Herd in Iceland

I am Red

Inside the Ring

Into the Canyons

Kumu Hina

Life After Manson

Lives of LaMott Atkins, The

Living Around Marguerite

Lulu: Story of the Pearl

Meeting an American Icon

Moo

Musings of an Iraqi Patriot

My Father’s Highway

My Shanghai

Nak Muay

On Blitzen

Opps

Patterns of Evidence: The Exodus

Poverty, Inc.

Prima

Propaganda

Refuge in Music

Resolute

Revival of Jewish Poland, The

Road to the Globe

Roaming Wild

Sax Man, The

SEE: An Art Road Trip

So Close

Solar Mamas

Soldiers’ Sanctuary

Sriracha

Still Going Strong: The Boston Marathon

Style Wars 2

Surreal and the Self, The

Teton Hooping Contingency

Tikotin

To Ginin Valley

Train of Pearls

Under the Mango Tree

Water Tower, The

Welcome Home Military Heroes

White Earth

Why We Race

]]>http://docutah.com/2014-film-selections/feed/02014 Festival Filmshttp://docutah.com/2014-festival-films/
http://docutah.com/2014-festival-films/#commentsWed, 25 Jun 2014 17:01:47 +0000http://docutah.com/?p=3997Listen up for the upcoming 2014 Festival Films to be announced the first week of July.
]]>http://docutah.com/2014-festival-films/feed/0Around The Globehttp://docutah.com/globe/
http://docutah.com/globe/#commentsMon, 23 Jun 2014 23:41:37 +0000http://docutah.com/?p=4017DOCUTAH supports the efforts of film festivals and media groups around the globe. Check out these industry organizations and their festivals.

After 12 years of development, GZDOC has grown from an academic seminar in 2003 to a documentary conference and now it has become one of the most influential professional documentary film festivals in the world, Asia’s biggest documentary event and China’s sole state-level documentary film festival, with trading platforms, greatly boosting the development of China’s documentary industry and enhancing the communication between Chinese and foreign documentary professionals.

The Wairoa Maori Film Festival was founded in 2005 with the purpose of supporting, recognizing and presenting the indigenous storyteller narrative.

]]>http://docutah.com/globe/feed/02013 WINNERShttp://docutah.com/2013-raven-award-winners/
http://docutah.com/2013-raven-award-winners/#commentsFri, 20 Dec 2013 19:01:36 +0000http://docutah.com/?p=3808BEST STUDENT SHORT – Reporting on the New York Times and the Holocaust – Director: Emily Harrold

DOCUTAH and the Dixie College foundation awarded 4 lucky students with a DSU scholarship for attending the festival. Dax Sederholm, Vilca Havili, Ashlee Millett and Arika Middleton (not pictured) each received $500.